1210.6251 (Young S. Kim et al.)

Dirac Matrices and Feynman's Rest of the Universe    [PDF]

Young S. Kim, Marilyn E. Noz

There are two sets of four-by-four matrices introduced by Dirac. The first set consists of fifteen Majorana matrices derivable from his four $\gamma$ matrices. These fifteen matrices can also serve as the generators of the group $SL(4,r)$. The second set consists of ten generators of the $Sp(4)$ group which he derived from two coupled harmonic oscillators. In classical mechanics, it is possible to extend the symmetry of the coupled oscillators to the SL(4,r) regime with fifteen Majorana matrices, while quantum mechanics allows only ten generators. This difference can serve as an illustrative example of Feynman's rest of the universe. The universe of the coupled oscillators consists of fifteen generators, and the ten generators are for the world where quantum mechanics is valid. The remaining five generators belong to the rest of the universe. It is noted that the groups $SL(4,r)$ and $Sp(4)$ are locally isomorphic to the Lorentz groups O(3,3) and O(3,2) respectively. This allows us to interpret Feynman's rest of the universe in terms of space-time symmetry.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.6251